Photographic Memory : Self Publish a Commemorative Book for a Family Event

Article by Thomas Christopher

There were many occasions that call for thoughtful gifts. There are the special wedding anniversaries and the special birthdays, particularly the 50th. There are weddings. There are retirement celebrations. There are memorial services. Why not publish your own book for a family event?

For thoughtful gifts for the special occasions, people sometimes create computer slide shows. You can go further. Since books retain a sense of greater significance, consider giving a book of photographs and reminiscences. Print-on-demand services make these easily affordable.

For a wedding, consider creating a book of photographs and stories not merely out of the wedding itself, but also of the romance leading up to it. Include scans of he invitation and the guest book as well.

Anniversaries call for books of photographs, memories, and well wishes, celebrating their lives together.

A significant birthday calls for photos and stories out of each decade of a person’s life. A retirement calls for memories of a career. A memorial service calls for celebration of the life.

You can ask family and friends for digital copies of their photographs. You can ask them for their memories. They don’t even have to write it. You can both call up to a conferencing service like InstantConference.com. At the cost of the phone calls, you can have your conversation recorded. Send the recording off to have it cheaply transcribed. Elance.com is a good place to find transcription services.

Print-on-demand publishing makes printing a quality book cheap and easy. It is now possible to commemorate these occasions with a gift book that will be kept for years. With print-on-demand publishing, you only have to buy as many copies as you want, and each copy is modestly priced. The quality is as good as traditional print runs. You can get a paperback or a hardbound book. You can have them printed in black and white or in color.

For example at Lulu.com, on December 2, 2009, a 6″x9″ 32 page, perfect-bound paperback with black and white printing costs .14 in single quantities and two cents for each additional page. Color costs .90 for 32 pages, and 20 cents for each additional page. A single hardcover casewrap, black and white costs .64; color costs .40.

A book is more personal than most other gifts. A book will be kept for years, bringing back memories when it is encountered on the shelf. With the right contents, a book will be valuable to future generations, connecting them to their heritage.

A book celebrating a special occasion demonstrates thoughtfulness in a way that few other gifts can. With print on demand publishing, it is now possible to create books for family occasions.